Definition
A dashboard is a set of key business or process-level metrics displayed as a one-page summary. Dashboards are used by business managers to run their businesses - facilitated by having critical information readily available.
The term dashboard is a reference to an automobile dashboard; it is "one stop shopping" for critical information about the performance of your car. It is easy to read and understand.
Application
In Rath and Strong's Six Sigma Leadership Handbook (2003), these six steps are recommended when creating dashboards:
1) Develop preliminary metrics 2) Design the dashboard 3) Set up the data collection system 4) Make the dashboard operational 5) Revise the metrics 6) Institutionalize the processNotes
Rath and Strong's Six Sigma Handbook (New York, John Wiley & Sons, 2003), 269.